Syria, global bodies sign deal on detainees disappeared.by Assad

The Syrian National Authority for the Missing has signed a cooperation agreement with several international organisations aimed at uncovering the fate of missing and forcibly disappeared persons in Syria.

Officials have described the move as the beginning of a comprehensive national process for truth and justice.

The agreement, signed Wednesday evening at the Golden Mezze Hotel in Damascus, brings together the National Authority and international partners, including the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP), the Independent International Missing Persons Institution (IIMP), and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

According to a statement by the Authority, the agreement "aims to establish a comprehensive framework for joint cooperation among the signatories" to strengthen national and international efforts in clarifying the fate of the missing.

Additionally, it will provide support to their families and will consolidate "technical and institutional cooperation among all concerned parties in pursuit of truth, dignity, and justice".

Mohammad Rida Jalakhi, head of the National Authority for the Missing, told The New Arab's Arabic edition Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that work on the file "will begin from scratch", as no precise official data exists.

"There are still no accurate official statistics after 2011, and the figure often cited of around 300,000 missing persons is not precise," he said, explaining that existing numbers were "compiled from various sources without a unified database".

Jalakhi said the Authority, in cooperation with the international organisations, will create a new national database to document cases using "scientific methods and international standards" to ensure accuracy and credibility.

"The goal is to build a national, institutional process that places the families of the missing at the heart of all efforts," he added.

Stephan Sakalian, head of the ICRC delegation in Syria, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that most of the documented cases "date from between 2011 and 2015", warning that addressing the issue "requires a clear legal framework".

He called for a new law on the missing in Syria to allow authorities to document cases and provide "legal and humanitarian support to families", adding that such legislation would be "a fundamental step toward organising efforts and achieving justice".

In its official statement, the Authority said the joint declaration of principles for cooperation seeks to unify national and international efforts "regardless of the circumstances of disappearance or affiliations", while ensuring "transparency, inclusiveness, and effectiveness in all related operations".

The declaration also reaffirmed the commitment of all parties to international humanitarian and human rights law, stressing that "the families of victims must be at the core of the national process".

It underscored principles of neutrality, independence, and impartiality, as well as the need for "technical, legal, and institutional support" to strengthen the authority’s capacity to lead a "comprehensive national process contributing to sustainable peace based on dignity, truth, and respect for the rights of all missing persons and their families".

The signing of the agreement comes amid increasing domestic and international calls for an effective mechanism to address Syria’s missing persons crisis, one of the most complex humanitarian issues to emerge from the conflict that began more than a decade ago.

It is estimated that between 100,000 and 300,000 people remain unaccounted for or missing in Syria, the vast majority of whom are believed to have been imprisoned or disappeared by the Assad regime. As many as 181,000 are believed to have been forcibly disappeared.